元宵节
Yuán xiāo jié · HSK 7
festival
🏮 元宵节 = first-night festival: 元 first + 宵 night + 节 festival
元 means first/origin, 宵 means night, 节 means festival — the first full-moon night of the lunar year. Yuán xiāo also names the round glutinous rice balls eaten that night, so the word doubles as the festival and its signature food.
元 — 二 (two) + 兒 variant 儿 (legs/person)
元 originally depicted a person with the head emphasized on top, meaning 'head' or 'origin'. From this came the extended senses of 'first', 'beginning', and 'primary'. It was later borrowed as the name of the Yuan dynasty and the modern Chinese currency unit.
节 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 即
Originally written 節, depicting a bamboo joint — the segmented node where a stalk divides. The bamboo radical ⺮ gives the meaning, while 即 supplies the sound. From 'bamboo joint' the meaning expanded to any segment, hence 'section,' 'festival' (a marked point in the year), and 'restraint' (knowing where to stop).